Folding table



March 1939 w. P. DE SAUSSURE. JR 2,150,878

FOLDING TABLE Filed Sept. 18, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 T A| R f em a A m M Q W O Hw m V v 5 m BM m m a mm L w h .Lll l .HH l m w r a r i? w N P o T o I 3 \Q N m Qw mm q March 14, 1939.- w. P. DE SAUSSURE. JR 2,150,378

FOLDING TABLE Filed Sept. 18, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEINTOR A; ATTOR'NEY March 14, 1939. w. P. DE sAussuRE. JR 2,150,878

FOLDING TABLE Filed Sept. 18, 1957 5' Sheets-Sheet s Z5 INVENTOR [0% f DJMMW a; ATToiQNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING TABLE Saussure Equipment Company,

York, N. J.

West New Application September 18, 1937, Serial No. 164,432

7 Claims.

This invention relates to tables having folding legs, such as card tables, of the type in which when one pair of legs is extended or retracted, the other pair is, by means of simple link con- 5 nections between the legs, caused to make the same movement.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a simple, strong and rigid form of table of the above type.

10 With simple link connections between the pairs of legs, it is necessary to mount at least one of the pairs of legs so that in extending them the upper ends of such pair of legs move inwardly while the lower ends move outwardly, and to connect the upper ends of such pair of legs to intermediate points on the other pair by a rigid link whereby the latter pair is pushed outwardly and extended simultaneously with the first pair. This construction requires that at least one pair of legs be connected both pivotally and slidably to the under side of the table top.

It is most desirable to connect both pairs of legs both pivotally and slidably to the under side of the table top. If only one pair is slidably mounted the distance its top must be allowed to slide is greater than it would be if both pairs are slidably mounted. Consequently, if only one pair of legs is slidably mounted, the upper ends of the legs of one pair will be nearer the end of the table when in folded position than the ends of the other pair.

When both pairs of legs are slidably mounted, it is important that the pivotal axes of the pairs of legs remain in parallelism, otherwise the legs are liable to get crossed and interfere when they are being extended or folded. This parallelism has heretofore been ensured by the use of a pair of additional links arranged, one on either side of one pair of legs, fixedly pivoted at one end to the table top and at the other end to the l gs.

This complicates the construction, and one of the objects of this invention is to avoid the necessity of such links.

To this end, there is provided in tables embodying the present invention means for frictionally holding the pivots of one pair of legs in fixed position until the pivots of the other pair have reached the ends of the slots in which they are mounted. When that occurs, the pivots of the first pair are then moved to the ends of their slots. In other words, the upper end of one pair of legs slides its full distance and stops, and then the upper end of the other pair of legs slides its full distance. The same sequence of operation takes place both in folding the legs and in extending them. The pivots of the two pairs of legs are thus maintained in parallelism at all times.

The means for frictionally holding the pivots of one pair of legs against movement until the pivots of the other pair have completed their movement serve, most desirably, as part of means for releasably locking the legs in extended position.

A table embodying the features of the invention is shown, by Way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a table embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the legs extended;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same with the legs folded;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 with the legs extended;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1 with the legs folded;

Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation on' a somewhat larger scale of one end of the table when the legs have not quite reached the fully extended position;

Fig. '7 is a detail end elevation looking from the position indicated by the line 1-! of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a detail end elevation'looking from the position indicated by the line 3--8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 10 is a section on the line Hll0 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the table comprises a top 15, a pair of legs l5 connected at the top by a cross-bar ll, and a second pair of legs l8 connected at the top by a cross-bar l9. Secured to the under side of the table are two angle bars 20, one along each side. In the vertical webs of these bars there are slots 2! at one end and slots 22 at the other end. Pins 23 extend from the upper end of legs [5 through the slots 2i, and pins 24 extend from the upper end of legs 58 through the slots 22. The legs are thus pivotally and slidably connected to the table top.

The two pairs of legs are interconnected by pairs of links 25 and 26. The links 25 are pivotally connected at one end one to each of the legs l8 at a point close to the upper end of the leg, as by the pins 24, and are pivotally connected at their other ends to the legs I B by pins 2'! at points a suitable short distance from the upper ends of the legs. Similarly, the links 26 are pivotally connected at one end one to each of the legs I6 at a point close to theupper end of the leg,

as by the pins 23, and are pivotally connected at their other ends to the legs l8 by pins 28 at points a suitable short distance from the upper ends of the legs. Through these connecting links, if either pair of legs is swung from the folded position to the extended, or open, position, the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved.

Lying along the outer side of each angle bar is a stifi spring bar 30 of steel or other suitable material, connected at one end to the upper end of the adjacent leg l6, as by means of the pin 23. At their other ends these spring bars are bevelled at 3| to enable them as the legs are opened to be pushed past the adjacent pins 24 and thereby be deflected downwardly as shown in Fig. 6. Then by the completition of the opening movement of the legs a notch 32 in the edge of each of the spring bars and the corresponding pin 24 are brought together and the bars spring back and the pins 24 enter the notches 32 as shown in Fig. 2, and are thereby held against movement in either direction. Each of these spring bars is slidably held in place against the adjacent anglebar 20 by two angles 33 spot-welded to the horizontal web of the angle. bar. Between the angles 33 the edge of each of the spring bars bears against the edge of a plate 34 spot-welded to the vertical web of the angle bar, and it is about these plates that the spring bars flex to permit the pin 24, serving as a stop lug, to enter or leave the notches 32. V

When the pins 24 are in the notches 32, as shown in Fig. 2, the legs are locked in open position. To unlock the legs, the spring bars must and journalled at its ends in the angle bars 20.

By rocking this rod about 45 from its normal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to the position shown in Fig. 6, the free ends of the spring bars 30 are by the cam action of the engaging ends of the rod; pushed downward far enough to release the pins 24 from the notches 32. For so turning this latch rod 35, a tab 36 is secured to the rod midway of its length and extends downward away from the table top at an. angle of about to the flat side of the rod when the rod is in its normal position. By pressing this tab up toward theunder side of the table, the rod is turned and the spring bars 30 are flexed to release the pins 24.

The upper edges of the plates 34 are so positioned that, even when the rod 35 is in its normal position with its flat side toward the spring bars 30, the spring bars are bowed slightly downward. The spring bars are thus tensioned into engagement with the plates 35 and with the rod 35, and

the pivot pins 23 at the ends of the legs I6 are pressed'against the walls of the slots 2| so that endwise. movement of the spring bars and sliding movement of the upper end of the legs IE to which the spring bars are connected is thus frictionally resisted. As there is no such frictional resistance to movement of the pins 24 and upper ends of the legs l8, when the legs are turned either from their folded position to the open position or from the open position to the folded position, the upper ends of the legs l8, movement of which is not frictionally resistant, will move to carry their pivot pins 24 from the position of rest at one end of the slots 22 to their position of rest at the other end of the slots22 before any movement of the pins 23 at the upper ends of the legs H5 in their slots 2| takes place, and it is only after the pins 24 have been given their full movement and come to rest at the ends of their lots 22 that the upper ends of the legs |6 move to carry their pins 23 away from one end of their slots 2| to the other end thereof; that is, in either opening or closing the legs, the upper ends of the legs l8 first slide their full distance and come to a stop with their pivot pins at the ends of their slots, and thereafter the upper ends of the legs l6 are given their sliding movement. The pivot pins of one pair of legs are thus always seated at the ends of their slots, and parallelism of the two pairs of legs is maintained.

The links 25 and 26 are desirably made of thin strips of metal, and in order to keep them from buckling, guides 31 and 38 are provided extending one on either side of the two links at or near the center of their length. One of these guides is, as shown, formed by a downward extension of the plate 34, and the other is formed by an angle secured to the under side of the table top.

What is claimed is:

1. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected. legs the upper ends: of which are pivotally and slidably connected to the table top,

links connecting the upper ends of the. legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, and means for frictionally resisting sliding movement of the upper ends of the legs of one pair to restrain them from sliding movement until the upper ends of the legs of the other pair have made their full sliding movement.

2. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected legs the upper ends of which are pivotally and slidably connected to the table top, links connecting the upper ends of the legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, means for frictionally resisting sliding movement of the upper ends of the legs of one pair to restrain them from sliding movement until the upper ends of the legs of the other pair have made their full sliding movement, and means comprising a pin on one of said legs and a spring bar having a notch for said pin for automatically locking the legs in extended position.

3. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected legs the upper ends of which are pivotally and slidably connected to the table top, links connecting the upper ends of the legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved in from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, and bars movable endwise against frictional resistance connected one to the'upper end of each of the legs of one pair whereby the upper ends of said legs are restrained from sliding to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved in from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, and endwise movable spring bars formed of flat metal strips connected one to the upper end of each of the legs of one pair and extending toward the upper ends of the legs of the other pair, means engaging opposite edges of each of said bars to tension the bars edgewise and frictionally resist endwise movement thereof, each of said spring bars having a notch adjacent its free end, and the upper end of each of the legs of said other pair having a lug positioned to engage and deflect the end of the adjacent spring bar as the legs approach their extended positions and to enter the notch in the bar and lock the legs when in full extended position.

5. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected legs the upper ends of which are pivotally and slidably connected to the table top, links connecting the upper ends of the legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved in from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, endwise movable spring bars formed of flat metal strips connected one to the upper end of each of the legs of one pair and extending toward the upper ends of the legs of the other pair, means engaging opposite edges of each of said bars to tension the bars edgewise and frictionally resist endwise movement thereof, each of said spring bars having a notch adjacent its free end, and the upper end of each of the legs of said other pair having a lug positioned to engage and deflect the end of the adjacent spring bar as the legs approach their extended positions and to enter the notch in the bar and lock the legs when in full extended position, a transversely extending rocking rod having cam faces to engage said spring bars, and means for rocking said rod to move the spring bars to release said lugs.

6. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected legs the upper ends of which are pivotally and slidably connected to the table top, links connecting the upper ends of the legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved in from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, endwise movable bars connected one to the upper end of each of the legs of one pair and adapted to make locking engagement with the upper ends of the legs of the other pair when the legs are in extended position, and means for releasing the legs of said other pair from said bars to permit the legs to be folded.

7. A table, comprising a table top, two pairs of connected legs the upper ends of which are pivotally and slidably connected tothe table top, links connecting the upper ends of the legs of each pair to lower points on the legs of the other pair whereby when one pair of legs is moved in from its folded position to its extended position or from its extended position to its folded position the other pair of legs will be correspondingly moved, endwise movable bars connected at one end to the pivots of one pair of legs and having their other ends notched to engage the pivots of the other pair of legs and lock the legs in extended position.

WILLIAM P. DE SAUSSURE, JR. 

